Polymer plastic container for in-ground installations

ABSTRACT

A fibre-reinforced polymer container suitable for in-ground installation for use in storage, typically of trash and the like. The container having a generally cylindrical container body; an inner shell having a floor and parallel sidewalls, bonded to the container body and defining an access port at the top of container; and a carriage having a platform for supporting trash, moveable between a lower position in which trash is contained within the container and an upper position in which the platform is accessible via the access port.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a polymer plastic container for in-ground installation, such as in-ground trash receptacles.

BACKGROUND

In-ground trash receptacles serve as an example of an in-ground installation. Some patents that relate to in-ground trash receptacles include: U.S. Pat. No. 330,201 (Baynes et al); U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,066 (Keppeler); U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,786 (Galeazzi et al 1992); U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,085 (Galeazzi et al 1996); U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,596 (Galezazzi et al 2002). Rectangular containers to accommodate in-ground installations made from concrete or steel are expensive. Rectangular containers to accommodate in-ground installations made from other materials may collapse from ground pressure.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a container suitable for in-ground installation for use in storage, typically of trash and the like, the container having an underground portion, intended to be below ground in use, with a generally convex exterior; and an access port, intended to be above ground in use. Preferably, the container body is made from a composite material. Preferably, the container body is made from a fibre-reinforced polymer.

Preferably, the underground portion is generally cylindrical, having a curved sidewall and opposed end walls wherein the axis of rotation of the actual or approximated cylinder extends generally horizontally when the container is installed. Preferably, the exterior of each end wall is convex.

Preferably, the access port is defined by sidewalls projecting from the underground portion, the sidewalls being generally vertically extending when the container is installed. Preferably, the container includes a lid for the access port. Preferably, the access port is generally rectangular and the lid is similarly generally rectangular for a suitable mating of the lid and access port. Preferably, the lid is pivotally attached to the access port such that the lid pivots relative to the access port when being opened or closed.

Preferably, the access port sidewalls extend down into the container body so as to define an inner chamber having generally parallel sidewalls. Preferably, the inner chamber sidewalls are bonded to the interior of the container body at selected locations. Preferably, the inner chamber has a generally horizontally extending floor. Preferably, the floor comprises a planar sheet of composite material bonded to the inner chamber sidewalls.

Preferably, the container includes a moveable carriage for supporting the material stored in the container and located within the inner chamber. Preferably, in use, the carriage is moveable generally vertically between an upper position in which material supported by the carriage is readily accessible via the access port and a lower position in which the carriage and material supported by the carriage are within the container.

Preferably, the container includes motive means for moving the carriage and control means for same. Preferably, the motive means includes a line (such as a cable, rope or chain) attached at a distal end to the sidewall of the inner chamber in the vicinity of the access port, and means for drawing the line towards, and paying out the line away from, a location on the opposite sidewall in the vicinity of the access port, wherein the line is routed so as to support the carriage, wherein drawing the line in causes the carriage to move upwards and paying out the line permits the carriage to move downwards. Preferably, the carriage includes one or more sheaves over which the line rides so as to reduce friction. Preferably, the means for drawing and paying out the line comprises a sheave at the location on the sidewall opposite the distal end attachment location, over which the line rides, the sheave oriented to align the line with a reel. The reel is connected to a motor, preferably an electric motor. Preferably, the motor is controlled by way of a hand control located on a pedestal projecting vertically from the container body in the vicinity of the access port. Preferably, the motor is further controlled by an automatic limiter that stops the motor when the carriage reaches whichever of the upper and lower position it is being moved towards.

Preferably, the carriage and lid are configured such that when the carriage is in the upper position the lid is open. Preferably, the carriage and lid interact such that when the carriage is moved from the lower to the upper position the lid concurrently moves from a closed position to an open position. Preferably, at least one generally vertically projecting strut is attached to the carriage and configured such that as the carriage is moved from the lower to the upper position, the distal end of the strut abuts the underside of the lid, causing the lid to pivot from a closed position to an open position; and when the carriage is moved from the upper to the lower position, gravity causes the lid to abut the distal end of the strut such that the lid is supported by the strut as the lid moves from an open to a closed position.

In another aspect, there is provided a container for in-ground installations, comprising:

a cylindrical fibre-reinforced polymer outer shell having a peripheral circumferential sidewall and opposed end walls defining an interior cavity and a longitudinal axis, the outer shell having a rectangular opening through the sidewall; and

a parallelepiped fibre-reinforced polymer inner shell having a bottom and four sidewalls positioned within the interior cavity and protruding in close fitting relation through the rectangular opening.

Preferably, a reinforcing fibre-reinforced polymer shroud is bonded to the sidewall of the outer shell adjacent to the rectangular opening and that portion of the inner shell that protrudes through the rectangular opening. Preferably, the inner shell is bonded to the outer shell at selected locations. Preferably, the sidewalls of the inner shell are bonded to the outer shell about the periphery of the rectangular opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an in-ground container embodiment of the present invention, showing the carriage in the upper position and the lid in the open position;

FIG. 2 a is a side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 b is a partially transparent side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional front elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing the carriage in the lower position and the lid in the closed position; and

FIG. 5 is an isolation plan stylized view showing the motor-reel and associated components of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An in-ground container embodiment of the present invention generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5. In this specification, terms implying an absolute orientation (e.g. top, bottom, up, down) are used for convenience, such as in describing the relative position of components in the preferred installation orientation, and should not be read as indicating that such orientations always pertain.

As shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, the in-ground container 10, includes a container body 12; an inner shell 14 extending from within the container body 12 (in the vicinity of the bottom of the container body 12) to project through the top of the container body 12, so as to define an access port 16; a lid 18 pivotally attached to the access port 16 and configured to cover the access port 16 when closed; a carriage 20, disposed within the inner shell 14, for supporting trash and other unwanted matter (indicated in the drawings by the stylized garbage cans 22 and recycling bin 24); a control pedestal 26; a motor-reel assembly 28; a lift line 30 running from an anchor point 32 on the inner shell 14, below the carriage 20, over the inner-wall sheave 34 to the motor-reel assembly 28.

The container body 12 is cylindrical and the container end walls 36 are convex. The container body 12 includes two feet 38 on the bottom of the container body 12 intended to prevent the container body 12 from rolling when resting on a horizontal surface. At the top of the container body, adjacent the access port 16, there is a pedestal stand 40 having an upper horizontal planar surface on which the control pedestal 26 is mounted.

The inner shell 14 is a rectangular open-topped box having a floor 42, two opposed shell sidewalls 44 parallel one to the other, and an anchor-point end wall 46 and a motor end wall 48 parallel one to the other. Referring to FIG. 2 b, one of the sidewalls 44 may have an access door 45 that can be opened by removing the fasteners. The inner shell 14 is adjacent to, and is bonded to, the container body 12 at the bottom of the shell sidewalls 44, and where the shell sidewalls 44, anchor-point end wall 46 and motor end wall 48 project from the container body 12. A reinforcement collar 49 is installed on the container body 12 where it joins inner shell 14. Tracks 59 and a guide 61 are used to guide carriage platform 52 as it is raised, as discussed below.

Referring to FIG. 2 a, the lid 18 is curved so as to better shed rain and for strength, and has a seal 51 along its edge. The lid 18 is preferably pivotally mounted to the access port 16 with conventional hinges (not shown) suitable for outdoor use. Over-opening of the lid 18 is prevented by two chains 50, one chain 50 having one end connected to the anchor-point end wall 46 and the other end connected to the underside of the lid 18, the other chain 50 having one end connected to the motor end wall 48 and the other end connected to the underside of the lid 18.

Referring to FIG. 4, the carriage 20 includes a horizontally extending carriage platform 52 substantially spanning the space within the inner shell 14, on which trash may be placed; an anchor-end sheave 54 and a motor-end sheave 56 on the underside of the carriage platform 52; and two lid struts 58 extending vertically from the carriage platform 52, each lid strut 58 having a fan-shaped lid opener 60 at its upper/distal end.

As shown in FIG. 5, the motor-reel assembly 28 includes a motor 62 (typically a reversible electric motor) connected to a gear box 64 connected to a reel 66 connected to an automatic limiter 68. The automatic limiter 68 includes a threaded rod 70 driveably connected to the reel 66; a tab 72 threaded onto the threaded rod 70; a housing 74 within which the threaded rod 70 and from which the tab 72 projects such that the housing 74 prevents tab 72 from rotating with the threaded rod 70 such that rotation of the threaded rod 70 causes the tab 72 to move in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the threaded rod 70; and two shut-off switches between which the distal end of the tab 72 projects such that the motor is shut off when the tab 72 makes initial contact with one or the other shut-off switch 76. The control switch 78, mounted on the control pedestal 26, is connected to the motor-reel assembly 28 so as to permit the user to control the operation of the motor-reel assembly 28.

In the depicted embodiment, the control pedestal 26 is attractively ornate and includes a light 80. It will be clear that the control pedestal 26 may be configured however the manufacturer and/or user wish, and alternatively, that a control pedestal 26 is not necessary; the control switch 78 may be mounted remotely or, as a further alternative, the operation of the motor-reel assembly 28 could be controlled by a wireless device.

The lift line 30 extends from the anchor point 32, under the anchor-end sheave 54 and the motor-end sheave 56, over the inner-wall sheave 34 to the reel 66. It will be apparent that the line could be rope, metal cable or chain.

The carriage 20 is moveable between a lower position shown in FIG. 4 in which the lid 18 is closed and an upper position shown in FIG. 5 in which the lid 18 is open and the carriage platform 52 is accessible via the access port 16. To move the carriage 20 from the lower to the upper position, the user appropriately activates the control switch 78, which causes the motor 62 to drive the reel 66 via the gear box so as to draw in lift line 30, which causes the carriage 20 to rise. As the carriage 20 rises, the lid openers 60 abut the underside of the lid 18 causing it to open. When the carriage 20 attains the upper position, the tab 72 contacts the associated shut-off switch 76 and the motor 62 stops. To move the carriage 20 from the upper to the lower position, the user appropriately activates the control switch 78, which causes the motor 62 to drive the reel 66 via the gear box so as to pay out lift line 30, which permits the carriage 20 to descend under the effect of gravity. As the carriage 20 descends, the lid openers 60 support the underside of the lid 18 as it closes under the effect of gravity.

The container body 12, inner shell 14 and lid 18 are made from a fibre-reinforced polymer using conventional moulding techniques. Fiberglass and polyester resin have been found to be suitable for making these components and for bonding the container body 12 and inner shell 14. It is understood that other fibre-reinforced polymers, such as carbon or aramid fibres, and epoxy or vinylester resins would also be suitable, but as these materials tend to be more expensive than fiberglass and polyester resin, it is expected that they would be less desirable. The curved exterior profile of the container body 12, combined with the strengthening achieved through bonding the inner shell 14 to the container body 12 at selected locations within the container body 12, permit the walls of the container body 12 to be relatively thin, particular as compared to containers intended for underground use made from a fibre-reinforced polymer and having planar exterior walls.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” 

1. A polymer plastic container for in ground installations, comprising: a cylindrical polymer plastic outer shell having a peripheral circumferential sidewall and opposed end walls defining an interior cavity and a longitudinal axis, the outer shell having a rectangular opening through the sidewall; and a parallel-piped polymer plastic inner shell having a bottom and four sidewalls is positioned within the interior cavity and protruding in close fitting relation through the rectangular opening.
 2. The polymer plastic container of claim 1, wherein a reinforcing polymer plastic shroud is bonded to the sidewall of the outer shell adjacent to the rectangular opening and that portion of the inner shell that protrudes through the rectangular opening.
 3. The polymer plastic container of claim 1, wherein the inner shell is bonded to the outer shell at selected locations.
 4. The polymer plastic container of claim 3, wherein the sidewalls of the inner shell are bonded to the outer shell about the periphery of the rectangular opening.
 5. The polymer plastic container of claim 3, wherein the bottom of the inner shell is bonded to the outer shell.
 6. A container suitable for in-ground installation for use in storage of trash, the container comprising: a) a container body having a generally cylindrical exterior, with end walls and a longitudinal axis passing through the end walls, configured such that the cylindrical axis of rotation of the container body is intended to be generally horizontal when the container is installed in-ground; b) an inner shell having a floor and substantially parallel sidewalls, the sidewalls extending from within the container body to project through an opening at the top of the container body; c) the upper ends of the inner shell sidewalls defining an access port; d) the container body and inner shell made from a fibre-reinforced polymer, and bonded one to the other in the vicinity of the floor and in the vicinity of the opening through which the sidewalls project; e) a lid for overlying the access port; f) a carriage, disposed within the inner shell, for supporting trash; and g) means for moving the carriage between a lower position at which the carriage is proximate the floor and an upper position at which trash supported by the carriage is accessible via the access port.
 7. The container of claim 6, wherein the container body and inner shell made fibreglass reinforced polyester resin.
 8. The container of claim 6, wherein the exteriors of the end walls are convex.
 9. The container of claim 6, wherein the inner shell is generally rectangular.
 10. The container of claim 6, wherein the access port is generally rectangular and the lid is similarly generally rectangular for a suitable mating of the lid and access port.
 11. The container of claim 6, wherein the means for moving the carriage between the lower position and upper position comprises: a) a line extending between an attachment point on a sidewall of the inner chamber in the vicinity of the access port and a location on the opposite sidewall in the vicinity of the access port; b) means for drawing the line towards, and paying out the line away from the opposite-sidewall location; wherein, a portion of the line between the sidewalls is routed under a portion of the carriage, whereby drawing the line in causes the carriage to move upwards and paying out the line permits the carriage to move downwards.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein the carriage comprises one or more sheaves on which the line rides so as to reduce friction.
 13. The container of claim 11, wherein the means for drawing and paying out the line comprises: a reel to which the line is connected, a motor driveably connected to the reel and a sheave at the opposite sidewall location over which the line rides, the sheave oriented to align the line with the reel.
 14. The container of claim 13, further comprising a pedestal projecting vertically from the container body in the vicinity of the access port, the pedestal having a control switch for controlling the motor.
 15. The container of claim 13, further comprising an automatic limiter that stops the motor when the carriage reaches whichever of the upper and lower position it is being moved towards.
 16. The container of claim 6, wherein: a) the lid is pivotally attached to the access port such that the lid pivots relative to the access port when being opened or closed; b) the carriage comprises a lid opener that: i) when the carriage moves from the lower position to the upper position, abuts the underside of the lid causing the lid to pivot from a closed position to an open position; and ii) when the carriage moves from the upper position to the lower position supports the lid as the lid pivots from an open position to a closed position under the effect of gravity. 